Police investigate another deadly crash along Highway 2

by KOMO Staff

NEAR BARING, Wash. -- A 65-year-old father died Friday after a head-on crash on Highway 2 just west of Baring, police said.

Trooper Keith Leary says Wayne McKenzie was driving westbound in a Dodge minivan with his 34-year-old son when he crossed the center-line during a curve near Eagle Falls Creek. An elderly couple in an eastbound Chrysler swerved to miss the van but ended up sideswiping it instead. The van then collided head-on with a Camry that had also been traveling east.

McKenzie was taken by medics to a nearby fire station to meet a waiting airlift to Seattle, but he died en route. His son was not hurt.

Leary says the 86-year-old male driver of the Chrysler and his 81-year-old wife were also not hurt. The driver of the Camry, a 65-year-old woman, was taken to Valley General hospital in Monroe for precautionary reasons and is expected to be OK.

Leary says alcohol is not a factor in the crash, but investigators say a toxicology test and autopsy will be conducted to see if prescription medication or a medical condition may have been factors. They're still unsure why the minivan crossed the center line.

The road was blocked for about 2 1/2 hours after the crash at 11 a.m.

It was the second fatal crash on the highway in as many days. One person was killed and two others were injured in a crash early Thursday morning in Snohomish. Leary said prior to Thursday, it had been nearly two months since the last serious accident along the highway.